Kwesi Botchwey Committee report mocked as 'a smokescreen'

The Kwesi Botchwey Committee on Monday submitted its report on the poor performance of the NDC in the 2016 elections.

A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tema West, Dennis Amfo-Sefa, has downplayed reconstruction and unity talks in the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as “fanciful” and a “leap to nowhere”.

According to Mr Amofo-Sefa, popularly known as Chairman Nana Boakye, the whole process of putting together the Kwesi Botchwey committee and a report, which was used as a platform to suggest a reconciliation process, would rather deepen the woes of the NDC.

“They are still dazed from the massive defeat in 2016 and this reconciliation process that is supposed to lead to a recapturing of power in 2020 is nothing but a self-psyche,” he said.

He pointed out that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was continuously endearing itself to voters while the NDC was increasingly assuming the position of a villain in the Ghanaian political drama.

He asks why the NDC was, for instance, chasing investors away from the country with all the incessant noise about the $2.25 billion bond.

“They think Ghanaians are minors. The people are quietly watching them and getting to know who really has the country’s development at heart.”

Mr Amfo-Sefa said “if the NDC was really sincere about getting its supporters united behind the party, the first thing they would do, would be to constitute themselves into a responsible opposition.

After all, is it not the very government that you are fighting left, right and centre, the government that the very Ghanaians you are trying to woo voted massively for in the 2016 election?”

He said, “If you really respect the people of this country, would you be going around creating the impression that the choice they made was a not a wise choice?”

Mr Amfo-Sefa said the claim that the party will return to power in 2020 was a false hope that the NDC was giving its supporters.

He claimed that the call for unity in the party will not work because the leadership of the party was insincere about the whole call.

The Kwesi Botchwey Committee on Monday submitted its report on the poor performance of the NDC in the 2016 elections.

Mr Amfo-Sefa pointed out that the NDC does not even know if the reconciliation process would be successful and yet it was already touting victory in 2020.

According to him, the “NDC’s boasts that it is coming at a time that the NPP’s government led by President Akufo-Addo is delivering on its campaign promise.

“President Akufo-Addo is showing what governance is about and instead of the NDC keeping quiet and learning, they are rather tickling themselves and laughing,” he said.